Information

This is not just a spatial phenomenon as computer networks link tens of millions of computer terminals world-wide, providing instant access to contemporary words and numbers generated at the present time. It is also an historical phenomenon. As the world's great libraries and other depositories of information are scanned into electronic form, virtually all surviving recorded human knowledge will soon be easily available to anyone, anywhere on earth.

Microcomputer processing speed has increased logarithmically with time for 15 years (see figure on page 3), while cost per computer operation has decreased at the same rate. (We were recently delighted to buy a 66MHz 486DX2 Intel CPU and motherboard for $380 when the published price was $500. Two weeks later, I tried to buy another one at the same price, but failed. The price had dropped to $295.) As human nature interacts with this cornucopia of information and processing capability, it is not surprising that some strange myths have arisen. One of these is that of the "information economy.'' This myth envisions the United States as an information megalith that no longer needs to dirty its hands with productive industry. We just lounge warmly by solar-powered computers and dominate the world by virtue of our superior access to information. As a result of this superiority, the rest of the world clamors to satisfy our material needs.

It is a wonder that this myth lives on when the rest of the world is obtaining the same computer capabilities so fast that our computer-producing industry itself has difficulty staying ahead - and, if anyone wishes to correct illusions about alleged superiority of American abilities to utilize information technology, he need only turn on a TV set and tune to a random channel of his choice.

The ocean of words and numbers will be available everywhere. In America, we have only the advantage of the first peek. Our wealth has allowed us to have this technology while it is still relatively expensive; our proximity to the early computer industry has let us use it first; and our language is an advantage because a large part of human knowledge is available in English. All of these advantages are time-dependent and will be gone forever in a relatively few years.

During the transition to this new situation in which virtually everyone has easy access to the information ocean, it is natural that most people focus on the means of obtaining access. Each new network or hardware innovation has its brief days of notoriety, and staying in high-tech fashion seems to require an up-to-date knowledge of new developments and possession of the latest machinery. During the 30 years that we have been using mini and, later, micro computers for research and word processing, we have usually purchased computer equipment that was a couple of years out-of-date. This saved lots of money, while the rapid advance of technology assured that our computer capabilities were sufficient for our needs. This is, however, becoming a socially demeaning practice, as I find many friends feeling sorry for me as though I wear too shabby a set of clothes.

For the CD-ROM of 21 years of Access to Energy described on page 4, we are using scanning and disk recording hardware and software for ordinary personal computers. For those too busy to produce their own, I expect that businesses will offer these services - providing living, frequently updated biographies of productive people.